GGL Wire

Nearly one week has passed since GGL’s Warhawk tournament switched over from ladder to bracket play. While many valiant competitors were cut down in the switchover, 32 amazing teams made it to the bracket.

Now, 10 of 16 matches from the first round are complete, and it’s time to see who is making the cut…

It should surprise no one that #1 seed [WAR!] eliminated #32 Black Brigade. No disrespect to BB, but [WAR!] are first seed for a good reason. However, a large number of upsets took place toward the bottom of the bracket, showing that ladder seeds aren’t the end-all-be-all of skill.

#20 United Gaming Army took out #13 82nd Airborne Assault. Likewise, #27 (ONI) K.O’d #6 APEX and #22 /7 smashed #11 REDBULLS, who were at one point actually leading the ladder.

Last, but certainly not least, #18 shadow battalion upset #15 Wraith Swat Division to advance in the brackets. Aside from these matches, the higher seed won, which isn’t unexpected.

Several matches have yet to take place, as well. BOOM (#5) are set to take on #28 Agents of Kush, and the rumor is that the teams are already anticipating the need for an admin to be present for the match. Bomb Squad Kittens await the SlaPaHo Tribe, Known Outlaws will take on ICU, KRYPTO KINGPINS will battle Strategic Assassins, and ARMED^ASSASSINS will fight Syndicate.

More news as we get it!

Three.

Three days are all you have if you are borderline on the ladders for GGL’s Warhawk tournament, because it switches over to a 32 team bracket after June 29.

Tensions are already running high among the teams as they jockey for the last few spots. I’m no longer concerned with who is in first place; instead, I’d like to take a look at who is in last.

That would be Red Dragon and Strategic Assassins, who are currently tied for 31st place. [NUKE] and Frownie Face are tied for 29th place, as well.

On the elimination front, Agents of Kush fell to 34th, and teams like /7 and Detonators may challenge for a top 32 spot as well.

Time’s running out!

Let’s face it: The average vanilla ladder report breaks down maybe the top 10 teams in any given competition with a little bit of speculation as to future positioning, but GGL’s Warhawk competition is a different story.

While the top five teams have settled into a pattern of mutual symbiosis, beating each other into a pulp for points, not much has changed from last week, and [WAR!] still holds the lead.

The best part of this tournament is that teams in the top 30 (and beyond) are still fighting it out, putting together massive win streaks and grinding out matches for the purposes of bragging rights and respect. It’s what online competitive gaming is all about.

In the end, once we switch over to a bracket phase, there can only be one winner. But until then, teams like [NUKE] will continue to zoom up the ladder. [NUKE] has just entered 30th place from around rank 70, leapfrogging some less motivated squads and putting together a 10W streak in the process. Hats off to you guys!

As long as teams like [NUKE] keep it up, the bracket competition will definitely be something to behold.

Ladder play only continues for 6 more days in the Warhawk tournament, with the top 32 teams advancing to the bracket stage. Here are some teams on the border of elimination: Red Dragon and Agents of Kush (tied for 32nd), shadow battalion (34th) and NNN (35th, though they may just be getting a late start). These teams should be going into desperation mode very shortly, which will make for an extremely interesting week.

With that in mind, keep your eyes peeled for more coverage as we go down to the wire in the Warhawk tournament.